92 PHR Reader Projects

Everybody loves a project car. It's true; at any large show or cruise, the half-finished or just-begun cars usually gather as much attention as the completed ones. It's like witnessing the birth of a new piece of art; everyone wants to know what the plans are, what parts are going to be used, and what it is going to be used for. For us, it's the bench racing. With completed cars the choices are set, the decisions are made, but with a project the options are wide open and the sky's the limit. Just let your imagination run wild.

1/93

We spend 11 issues a year digging up some of the most impressively constructed, aesthetically pleasing, and innovative muscle cars built across the country to show you what's possible. Sometimes that means we end up focusing on high-end builds performed by enthusiasts with mile-deep pockets. Sometimes it's guys with near godlike skills that result in automotive art, but it's all because we want to encourage you to get out and wrench on your projects, whatever condition they're in.

This issue, however, is for the everyman. This is the issue where we ask you to send in shots of your project, no matter how far along it is, and tell us your story. Why? Because all those project cars in garages, shops, and backyards around the nation are the heart and soul of hot rodding. They're the real reason we write this magazine.

2/93

Just like last year, we included every relevant entry that followed the submission guidelines. And just like last time, two readers were picked to have their cars not only open the feature, but also appear on the cover. So don't give up. See what you're fellow hot rodders are up to, get inspired, get out there, and wrench on your own iron-and get your car in PHR

1986 Monte Carlo SS
Scot McKittrick
Noblesville, IN
Ever since the first time he saw Dale Earnhardt Sr. lapping ovals in a mid-'80s Monte, Scot McKittrick was infatuated. In fact, he's owned one since the first day he could legally drive-going on 24 years now. Of course his first wasn't an SS, it was a 16-year-old budget-friendly baseline '78. Not soon after, he traded it for an '84 SS, then an '86 SS-though not the one he's currently wrenching on. This final '86 SS came via a tip from a friend about a stripped repo car at a local bank. The SS was in sad shape, sans drivetrain, and rolling on four spare tires, but Scot snatched it up since his master plan called for much more power than the wimpy 180hp L69 HO 305ci provided, and six gears to row.

Eventually Scot wants to make the Monte more open-track ready with more aggressive suspension.

'63 Chevy II SS • Norm Kranz • Green Bay, WI
A neighbor of a friend of Norm Kranz owned this Chevy II for the past 10 years, but it certainly didn't look like this. Norm noticed it, and bugged the owner about it a few times, but had always been turned down. Then one day, Norm decided to try a different tactic, he offered to restore the guy's '83 Cutlass that he had bought new in exchange for the Nova. To his surprise, the guy agreed. After a few months of hard work, the guy had a perfect Olds and Norm finally had the Chevy II in his garage. "If I wouldn't have asked the previous owner to trade a resto for the car, I wouldn't have ended up with my dream ride," Norm says. "Sometimes it doesn't hurt to ask."

After sorting out the chassis, Norm plans on building an 800hp blower engine, but it's still got to stay street driveable and have a back seat for the kids.

'97 Mustang GT Mark Telder • Sparta, MI
May 17, 1967 was the first day Mark Telder could drive, and the first day he fell in love with Mustangs behind the wheel of a '65 coupe. Since then he's had quite a few ponies in his garage, but the realities of family life kept him from building something truly fast. Once the kids left home and he retired, Mark tracked down his "last hurrah" car, a '97 Mustang GT project fitted with a stroked Cobra engine. The cheap price of $3K left him $7K in his $10K budget for building the car. That'll be tight considering that he's hoping for single-digit quarter-mile e.t.'s, but we've learned to never underestimate resourceful hot rodders. The only part that Mark's farming out is the chassis and 'cage work so that he can be certain it's up to spec; the rest will be up to his ingenuity, and probably lots of boost.

an 8-second street-legal ride that Mark can drive to and from the track

Joe and Cynthia Schultz '66 Impala SS Herron, MI
This '66 Impala was actually originally purchased as just a $2,500 parts car for a couple different projects Joe Schultz was working on: another '66 Impy SS and a '59 Chevy Viking 60 truck. The more he pondered it though, the more the running 396ci car with its hard-to-find factory tach and floor console began to look like it had potential. It would certainly be cheaper and easier to pull together than the Viking. The final temptation came in the form of our own call for "Reader's Project Wanted" in the March issue; the Impy was officially moved up in status from parts to project.

Joe and Cynthia are working on the Impy together and hope to have it driveable and painted House of Kolors Kandy Brandy Wine in time for a local car show in July.

Factory Five GTM Mike DeGuire • Ballwin, MO
The Factory Five GTM is a shining example of how to design a kit car right. While waiting for his GTM to arrive, Mike DeGuire tracked down a wrecked '00 Vette as a donor because the GTM uses the engine, ECM, major suspension components, and a long list of other parts from a '97-04 Corvette. With a low-slung tube chassis designed for competition, it's basically a DIY supercar. Better yet, selling excess parts from the Vette allowed Mark to upgrade to a 480hp GM LS crate engine. With that kind of power and only 2,400 pounds to push, 0-60 times could be in the sub 4-second range. Mark had the chassis ready for a spin around the block within a few months, and is currently spending extra time aligning panels and making a few custom parts, such as the grille and engine cover, to make his GTM even more unique.

Mike enjoys the build, so once he finishes this one and puts a few miles on it, he plans to sell it and move on to another project.

'65 Impala SS • Scott Liggett • Los Angeles, CA
Scott Liggett scored his '65 Impy for only $1,200, but it did need some love. The junkyard 350/TH-350 combo barely wheezed along, and in Scott's words, "Other niceties included power drum brakes with a bad booster, rusty turbo mufflers, a 10-bolt peg leg rear with 2.56 gears, 20-year-old JCPenney 175/75R14 whitewalls, and it only went into reverse when it felt like it." After suffering a few weeks, Scott swapped in a 383 stroker and built TH-350 from another project. As more speed parts and better cogs in the rear were added, the TH-350 was swapped for a GM NP440 four-speed trans for some gear bangin' fun. Eventually Scott wants the Impy to do it all, but for now, "the suspension is too soft for autocrossing, and too firm for drag racing, but I did end up with a car that is a blast to drive every time I turn the key."

"A 12-bolt with 3.73 gears, Lakewood scattershield, custom headers with cutouts, Line-Loc, and an interior that doesn't get soggy every time it rains. Then drive the snot out of it some more."

'80 Malibu Thomas Souren • Denville, NJ
It's a true granny car; this Malibu was owned by Thomas Souren's grandmother and only racked up 16K miles going back and forth to church, the market, and the hairdresser once a week. Thomas only put 4K on "Madge" over the next four years before parking it for a makeover. As a longtime SCCA GT1 racer, Thomas pondered turning the Malibu into a track car with a GM LS6 crate engine, but he just couldn't stand cutting the perfect body or ruining the flawless interior. He's still dropping in the LS6; the goal now is to make it look as factory installed as possible using original '70s GM parts. The only giveaway on the outside will be the Goodmark steel cowl hood.

Global West springs, negative roll upper control arms and stock lowers with Del-A-Lum bushings, GM B-body spindles, and 1.125-inch sway bar up front. Global West upper and lower control arms and springs in the rear.

surprising people at stoplights and convincing others that it's a very, very rare factory big-block Malibu

'64 Falcon • Carrie Hensley • Mountain Home, AR
Starting with an average plain-Jane little Falcon that belonged to the grandmother of a family friend (who we hear wishes he hadn't passed it up now), Carrie Hensley and her husband replaced, rebuilt, and refurbished every single part on the car to create a fun driver that could be taken anywhere at any time. It's all Carrie's to enjoy too; she tells us her husband says it turned out "too nice" for him to drive, so he sticks to his '68 F-250 4x4. We're sure Carrie doesn't mind a bit. Even more impressive, Carrie and her husband have managed to build a nice car while staying out of debt by doing nearly everything themselves and sticking to a strict budget that has kept the total investment under $10,000, including the original purchase price.

wider tires for a beefier stance, plus window tint and A/C to make cruising more pleasant in the Arkansas sun

'67 Mustang • Chris Austin • Chesapeake, VA
This '67 has a good near-death story. Chris Austin spotted the coupe in the paper as a drag car for $8,000. The price was high, but he decided to check it out anyway. The owner wouldn't let Chris drive it though, since he was sure it "would get away from him," but he'd be happy to give Chris a ride. After the obligatory burnout, the owner laid into it and snatched Second, and that's where it got ugly. The Mustang swerved all over the road, plowing through a ditch, a culvert, and a mailbox. Chris walked away from the sale, but called the guy and struck a deal for $3,000, delivered. The damage turned out to be mostly superficial, and Chris has already finished all the repairs and added plenty of upgrades to make the coupe more capable of channeling the power to the ground.

A 532ci stroker is in the cards now that the chassis is sorted and ready to run in the 10s or better. A coat of factory blue paint and white C-stripe will also replace the current graphics.

'74 Karmann Ghia • Scott Cornish • Pleasant Dale, NE
After mean Mother Nature sent a tornado and folded up Scott Cornish's '33 Nash project like a matchbox, he looked for another unique option. When a Karmann Ghia cruised by one day, he thought, "Why not a Ghia gasser?" Using what was left of the Nash chassis, Scott stretched a clapped out Ghia to fit the 100-inch wheelbase, but squeezing everything else in was the biggest hurdle. Scott also discovered it's quite difficult to build a competitive drag car that's still streetable, but eventually put together a potent package that has seen hundreds of passes regularly dipping into the 8.90s at 150 mph on the motor. Unfortunately, Scott's local dragstrip closed down a few years ago, so the fun factor of the Ghia is waning. But there is hope; a road race course has opened up less than a hundred miles away, and Scott's considering reworking the Ghia into a g-Machine.

When the snow clears, the Ghia is going back under the knife for a C5 Vette drivetrain swap, big wheels with sticky tires, side pipes, quiet mufflers, and maybe a couple of hair driers under a flat hood.

'71 Cougar TJ Congleton Charlotte, NC
The last thing TJ Congleton's father-in-law said to him when he tossed the keys to the Cougar for a little summertime cruising was, "Don't wreck it." Of course, the day before TJ was going to return it, a driver in a big SUV sideswiped the Cougar. With the insurance settled up, the hunt for parts dragged on for another six months since almost nothing is available in the aftermarket for these cars. Fortunately they've managed to track down everything they need, and the Cougar should be as good as new in a few more months.

13/93

By The Numbers

Engine:

stock 351 Cleveland, two-barrel

Trans:

FMX

Suspension:

stock

Brakes:

factory power discs front, drums rear

Rearend:

9-inch with 3.00 gears

Wheels:

15x7 Cragar S/S

Tires:

245/55R15 all around

Future plans:

TJ would love to do some more top-down cruising, provided his father-in-law will let him.

'69 Mustang Coupe Joshua Gleason Hickory, NC
There are a lot of good '69 Mustang SportsRoofs out there, but it's hard to find a well-loved '69 coupe, so Joshua Gleason was thrilled when he finally found his dream car only 45 minutes from his house. The original-paint Winter Blue coupe is 80 percent original, with a stock 200 straight-six, but that's ideal for Joshua's plans. So far, he's upgraded the suspension, but there's much more to come. Just like he and his father worked on muscle cars as he grew up, the plan is to spend time with his kids wrenching on the coupe. "These cars always get a little older," Joshua says, "but the memories they create for my family and others just like us will never end."

a period-correct four-barrel 351W backed by a four-speed Toploader, lots of memories, and eventually using the Mustang to teach his grandkids about muscle cars

'66 Cobra Replica • Dave Mumaw • Ashland, OH
Rather than have their noses buried in books, Dave Mumaw prefers to keep his students in the autobody tech program at Ashland County-West Holmes Career Center out in the shop learning with their hands. The next project is a '66 Cobra replica from Street Beasts, put together with driveline and chassis parts from a donor 5.0 Mustang. The real benefit is that students get a taste of many different aspects of assembling a real project, from mechanics to fabrication, and painting to wiring, an experience that will hopefully better prepare them for a good-paying career. Progress is a little sporadic since students must complete curriculum requirements first, but currently the junior and senior classes are working on making the Cobra a roller just in time for the school's annual cruise-in.

15/93

Engine:

5.0L Ford

Trans:

Borg Warner T-5 five-speed

Suspension:

Mustang II style front suspension, four-link rear

Rearend:

Ford 8.8, 2.73 gears

Future Plans:

The Cobra should be finished in 2011 and will be used to promote the school and autobody program, and then may be auctioned to pay for the next project.

'73 Nova • Brett Carter • Lucas, TX
Original '68 Nova SS cars are hard to find, not to mention expensive, so Brett Carter is cloning his '73 into one. This is actually Brett's first build, but luckily his buddy Gene Stanton is helping out and making sure he doesn't have to learn things the hard way. So far, it's all been bodywork since the Nova needed quarter-panel and floorpan work, and plenty of block sanding in preparation for paint, but the end of sanding is in sight. Once it's back with a fresh coat of Hugger Orange with white stripes, Brett and Gene plan to handle the rest of the restoration themselves.

The goal is for the Nova to be a nice driver that can be taken out a couple times a week and on occasional excursions with the family.

'63 Dart GT • Mike and Cheryl Toupin • Fall River, MA
We typically don't include cars that made the previous Reader Projects editions, but Mike Toupin has made such impressive progress on his Pro Touring '63 Dart GT we had to show it. In a year's time he's finished the mini-tub, leaf-spring relocation, subframe connectors, and most of the fabrication work. The big news, however, is after installing an Alterkation front suspension he had room to drop in a 5.7L Hemi crate engine to create a one-of-a-kind Hemi Dart. Now he's moving to the bodywork and welding up 120-some-odd trim holes and blocking out the body. Just as we last reported, green is the hue with Lexus Sage Metallic getting the nod.

17/93

By The Numbers

Engine:

5.7L Hemi Dodge crate engine, Jeep STR8 exhaust manifolds

Trans:

Dodge 545RFE five-speed automatic

Suspension:

RMS Alterkation K-member up front with QA1 single-adjustable coilovers and a Flaming River rack; the rear uses 2-inch de-arched leaves with Strange shocks and a Helwig sway bar.

The plush interior will use Cadillac CTS-V power seats, power windows, remote entry, an ididit column, and a custom carbon-fiber instrument cluster.

'79 Delta 88 • Stan Townsend • Saskatoon, SK, Canada
Big cars make better drivers. That's Stan Townsend's philosophy. As an Olds fan with two '49 fastbacks and an '85 Cutlass, he was struggling with what should replace his worn daily driver '79 Delta 88-until it occurred to him that what he needed was another '79 Delta 88. The rust-free B-body came from Montana and Stan has already embarked on building a perfect daily driver. The body has already been refinished in Chrysler Inferno Red and he's sourced an upgraded interior from a low-mile '79 Holiday 88. Combined with lots of Dynamat, a high-end stereo, and a torquey Olds Rocket engine, Stan will have a better-than-new 88 for year-round driving and cross-country road trips.

18/93

By The Numbers

Engine:

'72 Olds 350ci, ported No. 6 heads, COMP Xtreme Energy cam

Trans:

Specially prepped 200R4

Suspension:

rebuilt stock except for Highway Patrol sway bars

Brakes:

stock Olds

Rearend:

8.5-inch with 3.42 gears and Detroit TrueTrac

Wheels:

15x7 Olds Rally III

Future plans:

a December road trip in the finished Delta to Palm Springs, California

'78 Nova • Kyle Leedy • Cumberland, MD
As a college student, Kyle Leedy picked up a "booger green" '78 Nova six-cylinder with 56K on the clock, since it was cheap, economical, and offered plenty of hot rodding potential down the line. Of course education comes first, and during his senior year of college, Kyle made the wise decision to spend his hard-saved cash on an opportunity to learn overseas. Unfortunately, the trip exhausted his Nova fund as well. When he returned home, however, Kyle's dad and brother had a "welcome home" surprise; the Nova had a rebuilt 350 in it, '81 Camaro wheels, and a fresh paintjob. For less than $5K total investment, Kyle finally had his own unique hot rod worthy of cruise nights.

An upgraded suspension that doesn't handle worse than a minivan and four-speed trans, but most of all Kyle says, "This summer I want to drive my car away from school, degree in hand, and enjoy the open road.

'71 Trans Am Lee Hooten • South Jordan, UT
When he bought this '71 Trans as a project, Lee Hooten thought he had a good solid platform to work from. Unfortunately, once he started stripping it down he discovered loads of shoddy bodywork and a severely rusted roof. While some would have cut their losses and walked away, Lee cut the roof off and replaced it with a solid one. Now that's impressive dedication. When the body was finally ready for paint, Lee rigged up a booth in his garage out of plastic and a bunch of home furnace filters to spray the five coats of House Of Kolors Majestic Blue Kandy and five coats of clear. To get modern driveability, a '98 GMC gave up its engine and trans, and Lee created a custom harness to connect to a '01 Express van 0411 ECM. After a little tuning with EFILive, Lee says it runs beautifully.

So far it's turned out to be such a well-mannered driver with good get-up-and-go that Lee's not sure what to do next.

'91 Trans Am Domenic Pirroncello Queensville, ON, Canada
As a lifelong Pontiac fan with a half dozen or so others in the family over the years, Domenic Pirroncello was ecstatic when he found this '91 TA with the WS6 suspension package in 2005. By that time most third-gen F-bodies were beat and abused, but this one had a mere 21K on the odometer, racked up by the retired couple who bought it new. Not bad for $2,100 bucks. Five years later the TA now has 55K, but it's just as immaculate since Domenic considers himself a caretaker of a piece of history now that Pontiac is gone. Now he has to figure out how to walk the line between preserving originality and having a little hot rodding fun.

21/93

By The Numbers

Engine:

bone-stock 305ci LB9

Trans:

stock 700R4

Suspension:

GM WS6 sport suspension

Brakes:

stock discs

Rearend:

stock

Wheels:

16x8 Trans Am GTA diamond spokes

Tires:

245/50R16 BFGoodrich G-Force Sport

Future plans:

Lots of basic bolts-ons are coming, including wheels, Wilwood brakes, MSD ignition, and Superchips programming, and maybe a better cam.

'66 Mustang Gene Carpenter Stanwood, WA
About 10 years ago, Gene Carpenter had a different '66 Mustang with a Rat Fink figure on the dash called "Alley Cruiser" that he parted with to finance bigger priorities, including supporting his son's motocross efforts. This new coupe has been christened "Alley Cruiser II," since he wants to pick up where he left off. So far, the $2,500 coupe has only had minor bodywork finished and a fresh coat of flat black primer applied, but now that his son is 20, Gene says it's time for him to get back to hot rodding.

22/93

By The Numbers

Engine:

289ci, Edelbrock RPM intake, Holley 650 DP carb, ACCEL ignition

Trans:

stock C-4

Suspension:

stock with High Jacker air shocks in the rear

Brakes:

stock drums

Rearend:

stock 8-inch

Wheels:

15x3 and 15x8 vintage slotted mags

Tires:

165R15 and 255/60R15

Future plans:

new paint and a fresh build on the 289, plus a performance C-4 and 4.11 gears in the rear to make it fun for cruising and the occasional eighth-mile run

'72 Grand Prix • Bill Newcomer • Salem, OR
The Grand Prix doesn't get a lot of attention, but it's been Bill Newcomer's focus since he took a ride in his brother's '71. This '72 is the latest in a line of GPs for Bill, and a replacement for a '71 that met an untimely end, thanks to an engine fire. By chance he happened to spot it at a local body shop with a fresh coat of black paint. A black-on-black '72 GP? Bill had to have it and after negotiating a deal with the owner he had the body shop add the gold accents to match the wheels from his ill-fated '71. Nice touch, we say. So far, the GP is still mostly stock, but Bill says the GP helps preserve his sanity by just being there: "It puts a smile on my face every time I'm around it."

a fresh 455 and a shift kit for the TH-400, as well as Year One's 17-inch Snowflake wheels and the biggest tires he can squeeze under the sheetmetal, paired with bigger brakes

'68 Chevelle SS • Patrick Leedy • Frostburg, MD
Memories of his uncle scaring the crap out of him in a '68 Chevelle doing donuts in a parking lot when he was young led Patrick Leedy to seek out one of his own later. Of course, growing up in a family of muscle car fans helped change his view of those tire smoke-filled memories. Unfortunately, it took combining three ough Chevelles to create one good one-but then again, as Patrick says, "It's amazing what you can do with a small budget and a lot of junkyard crawling."

stock with Mororso Trick springs in the front, Edelborck upper and lower control arms in the rear

Brakes:

factory disc in the front with slotted rotors, drums in the rear

Rearend:

nodular-center Moser 9-inch

with Detroit Tru-Trac

Wheels:

15x7 and 15x8 Corvette Rally

Tires:

Kelly Chargers up front, Mickey Thompson Drag Radials in the rear

Future plans:

a Procharged big-block making enough power to be competitive on Pinks All-Out

'67 Camaro Convertible Douglas Farnsworth Templeton, MA
A lifetime of riding around in a convertible with his family made sure that Douglas Farnsworth's project car search focused on ragtops, and being in the right place at the right time helped him drive home this '67 Camaro. Of course it's a rusty ex-six-banger car, but it had a good running '76 305 and TH-350, and you can't beat the $2,500 price. Massachusetts winters weren't kind to it, so a major underbody restoration began in '06 with Douglas building a jig to hold the Camaro together while he cut, patched, and replaced major structures. After that, it's time for underbody paint and reassembly since Douglas plans to just drive it and enjoy it as is-faded paint, surface rust and all.

25/93

By The Numbers

Engine:

'76 305ci, Edelbrock Performer intake and 600 carb.

Trans:

stock TH-350

Suspension:

stock front, five leaf-spring upgrade in the rear and DSE subframe connectors

Wheels:

17x7 GM Rally

Tires:

20570R15 and 255/65R15 Goodyear

Future plans:

as much top-down driving as possible

'55 Chevy • Mike Wells • Brunswick, GA
To say that the movie Two-Lane Blacktop hooked a few guys on '55 Chevys would be the gearhead understatement of the decade. Mike Wells blames his love for the first year Tri-Five on it, as well as a childhood hanging out at local gas station watching hot rods being wrenched on. He didn't get his '55 until 1994, and only got to enjoy it until 1996 when a careless driver plowed into him. The '55 sat on the back-burner until just a few months ago when Mike decided to revive it properly with a burly big-block.

Mike didn't specify his future plans, so we'll just speculate that they might include racing an Orbit Orange '70 GTO Judge for pinks. If you don't get it, rent the movie Two-Lane Blacktop.

'69 Camaro Mike Goodwin Hixson, TN
Mike Goodwin plans to do all the work on his project-save the upholstery-so before he even found the car, he purchased a paint booth from an autobody supply company and installed it in his basement. It's good he's that committed, since what looked like a good purchase on eBay turned out to be really rusty, requiring floorpans, firewall, cowl, dash, rockers, wheelwells, trunk pan, trunk lid, doors, fenders, roof skin, and more. The list goes on and on, but suffice it to say Mike basically rebuilt the entire Camaro from scratch. Fortunately all that metalwork helped him go from amateur to experienced welder and gave him the opportunity to shave and smooth the whole body and install mini-tubs in the rear.

27/93

By The Numbers

Engine:

LS3, 92mm throttle body, large unspecified cam

Trans:

Tremec T-56 six-speed

Suspension:

QA1 adjustable coilovers

Brakes:

Wilwood disc brakes all around

Rearend:

Winters 9-inch with 3.70 gears

Future plans:

Once all the metalwork is finished, Mike plans to spray the Camaro Black Sapphire metallic with silver ghost flames.

'64 Chevy II Chuck Huff • Wichita Falls, TX
A '50 Chevy pickup with a 327 and a four-speed was Chuck Huff's high school ride, but the car he remembers the most was the Chevy II drag car across the street from the school. "During class he would fire it up and tune on it. I don't remember much from school, but I do remember that car," Mike says. A couple years back a friend tipped him off to a clean 83K-mile Chevy II, and Chuck brought it home. Originally just a small-block swap and A/C was the plan, but things just mushroomed from there. "Where do you stop?" Chuck asks. We couldn't tell you Chuck, we're just as bad.

Martz Chassis subframe up front with drop spindles and tubular control arms, four-link with coilovers in the rear

Brakes:

disc brakes in the front, drums in the rear

Rearend:

narrowed Ford 9-inch with 31-spline axles

Wheels:

15x4.5 and 15x8 American Racing Torq-Thrusts D

Future plans:

If all goes as planned, Chuck wants to have the II ready to cruise for the Summer's Last Blast car show in Vernon, Texas.

'70 Valiant • Glen Knudsen Mount Gretna, PA
During his freshman year of college, Glen Knudsen parked this Valiant next to a '68 Camaro and the owner shook his head and told Glen he had "two doors too any, and two cylinders too few." Undaunted, Glen quickly upgraded to a 318 ci, and eventually a 300hp 360 crate engine. Still, everyone wants to know, "Why a four-door Valiant?" Originally purchased by his grandfather, the Valiant was handed down to his dad, and then to Glen to be his first car-though he began learning to drive it when he was 10. It even carried Glen's son home from the hospital. So when people ask he always replies, "How could I not keep it?"

Eventually the Valiant will be passed on to a fourth generation of Knudsens when Glen's son is old enough to sit on a pillow and see over the wheel.

'66 GTO • Pat and Pam Miller • Henderson, NV
Pat Miller and his wife have always loved muscle cars and often dreamed about owning and building their own. Pat's boss also felt that he needed to accomplish a dream, and helped put together the plan to blend old-school looks with new GTO technology. Now that's a good boss. The goal was to have a car that stayed true to vintage GTO good looks, but was also fast enough to beat Pat's brother's '65 Plymouth Belvedere II-and all those pesky Mustangs roaming the streets of Nevada. Beginning with a mostly stock, somewhat finished '66 GTO, Pat kept the heritage intact by tracking down the drivetrain out of a wrecked new GTO to drop it in. Doing all the work himself, it took five years to finish, but Pat tells us, "My wife and I now go get ice cream on nice summer nights without fear of coming up short at the light."

More cruising, but we'd guess less burnouts: "When you finish your car, don't do a big burnout in the parking lot because of our faithful men in blue. Keep that stuff at the track."

'65 Belvedere II • Mike Miller • Henderson, NV
Restored and respectable with thin whitewalls and stock steelies is nice, but having worked half his life in a garage that drag raced their cars on the weekends, Mike Miller really wanted a car that was quick in a straight line-quicker than his brother's '66 GTO in particular. So far, he's already gotten the suspension in drag-ready shape and mini-tubbed the rear to fit fat tires that will make the most of the next phase. Currently, Mike's pulling together the parts he needs to put together a stroked 440 with aluminum heads and a roller cam, which he's hoping will put out well over 500hp. Meanwhile, between projects he and his wife take the Belvedere out at least weekly for a cruise.

31/93

By The Numbers

Engine:

original 318ci two-barrel

Trans:

727 auto

Suspension:

rebuilt stock with tubular control arms in the front, Super Stock leaves in the rear

Brakes:

Dodge Aspen 10-inch discs in the front, 11-inch Explorer discs in the rear

Rearend:

narrowed 9-inch with 3.50 gears

Wheels:

15x7 and 15x10 Centerline Telstars

Tires:

26x8.0-15 and 29x12.50-15 Mickey Thompson Sportsman S/R radials

Future plans:

When the stroker is finished, a new 727 with a 3,000 stall will be swapped in. New upholstery and paint will be the finishing touches.

'55 Buick Special Harry Laughy Jr. Fairfax, VT
When Harry Laughy Jr. was 15, he used to watch a neighbor drive this '55 Special every day, and always dreamed of owning it. Then one day the neighbor offered: "The engine's blown; it's yours for $20." Harry combined parts from two other cars and built the '55 as his first car. It took him to high school until he hesitantly sold it for a down payment on a '63 Impala 409. Sadly, the guy he sold it to never drove it; it sat beside a barn until the property was sold and was unceremoniously pushed over the bank where it sat for 30 years with no hood or windshield, and provided target practice for hunters. Harry often wandered down and sat in it to reminisce. On his 50th birthday, his wife and daughter presented him a small treasure chest full of money and a note that read: "Here's a bank roll for your Buick." After clearing some trees, the Special returned home with Harry, and is now undergoing a '60s-style hot rod resurrection.

After completing the body and interior, Harry plans to rebuild the engine, upgrade to a Chevy four-speed trans, graft in a coilover suspension, add disc brakes, rack-and-pinion steering, and some 18-inch wheels.

'70 Mustang Mach 1 • John Harris • Chesnee, SC
What started as an $800 project car has been transformed into a Mach 1 so nice that John Harris' friends can't believe he still wants to drag race it occasionally with a Cleveland making horsepower numbers in the high 600s. Nevertheless, that's still the plan with the Engine Masters-inspired Cleveland engine. John wanted this car to be a complete nut-and-bolt resto because he's always liked Mach 1s, and 1970 is his birth year. Of course it hasn't all been fun. "It's been frustrating at times and some days I had to just walk away, but it's worth it when you realize you brought a car back to better-than-new condition."

John says he's actually building this car for his 8-year-old daughter, Shelby, and has been telling her it's hers since she was old enough to understand.

'69 Mustang Boss 302 Mark Plaggemars Holland, MI
Mark Plaggemars' childhood dream was to have a collection of Mustangs from '65-70 representing all body styles-and he actually achieved it. The crown jewel, however, is his legit Boss 302. He nearly swapped it once for a Boss 302 Trans Am, but the owner of the racer suggested he keep working on the Boss and build his vision. That vision was sketched out on paper over 25 years ago, and it's nearly come to fruition as the Boss is close to finished. Of course some parts choices have evolved as technology improved, but it still resulted in creating a Mustang that makes Mark feel like he achieved a childhood dream.

modified Global West upper control arms, Total Control Products lower control arms, 1 1/4-inch sway bar, and Koni double-adjustable coilovers up front; three-link and watts link with Koni double-adjustable coilovers in the rear.

With an open road race-style 'cage designed around the Silver State Classic Challenge's rule book, it'll be getting driven like a Boss 302 should be: hard.

'68 Camaro • David Bryant • West Chester, OH
Working and saving every dime possible throughout his high school years allowed David Bryant to purchase the car he always wanted not too long after graduation. The Camaro was in good shape and easily made the drive home, but there were lots of little things David wanted to tackle. Of course the winters in Ohio tend to be long and boring, so all those upgrades were planned for the cold and snowy months so the Camaro would be ready to go again in the spring. The plan has been to keep a late '60s, early '70s vibe to the car, which is why you'll find 14-inch wheels under it rather than big modern hoops. It's been 12 years so far, and David says the to-do list is still just as long as the completed list, but that's fine since David loves a project and feels a good one should always have something to upgrade.

David's main goal is to never run out of things to tinker on and ways to constantly improve his Camaro.

'69 Camaro Ken Marchant Troutdale, OR
Ken Marchant spent a week laughing at the Craigslist ad for this '69 Camaro and the ludicrous asking price of $2,000. Some misguided gearhead had dropped it on a homemade 4x4 frame back in the '70s. Despite that, Ken did end up with the contraption in his garage once the price was negotiated down significantly, after which he immediately removed from the frame. Since the body and chassis were so cut up, Ken has decided he may go with a NASCAR-esque, all-business kind of look, but with a few modern niceties like A/C and a five-speed.

36/93

By The Numbers

Engine:

454 ci

Trans:

TH-400

Suspension:

returned to stock Camaro

Brakes:

stock power drums

Rearend:

10-bolt with 3.36 gears

Wheels:

14x6 steelies

Tires:

235/60R14 BFGoodrich Radial T/A

Future plans:

Creating a Camaro for $10,000 or less that's different, and can be driven without worrying about damaging the finish or reducing its value

'69 Mustang • Ken True • Georgetown, TN
Always being on the lookout for "field bloomers" is how Ken True spots his neglected muscle car projects. He'd racked up a few when his two sons, Nick and Austin, asked if they could have one of the cars when they turned 16. "No way," Ken thought at first, then he decided to make them a deal; if the boys were willing to put time and money into the car and work on it with him, Ken would give it to them for their 16th birthday. Nick, 16, immediately took him up on the offer and picked out this '69 Mustang. It's come a long ways with lots of bodywork and patching along the way, and the end is nearly in sight. The real goal all along, however, was for Ken to spend some quality time with his son and teach him to take pride in something he built.

They didn't get it on the road by his 16th birthday, but that's OK since Ken would prefer to let him learn in the minivan. The new goal is a father-son trip on this year's Power Tour.

'72 Buick GS Greg Avery • White Lake, MI
"It's a hybrid," Greg Avery says. "It burns ethanol and tires!" Greg's theory is that engine development begins with fuel selection, so with E-85 being widely vailable in his area, he opted to tailor his twice-blown big-block Buick around its performance benefits. Though it'll be a beast underhood, you won't be able to tell by the outside. Greg plans for the GS to look showroom fresh and cruise the streets like a stocker, but be able to rip off at least 10.99 in the quarter-mile when he lets the two non-intercooled turbos exhale deeply into the 455.

The end is in sight, and Greg expects to be achieving his cruising and quarter-mile goals by the end of summer.

'70 Mustang • Travis Durst • Fort Worth, TX
A pending divorce caused Travis Durst's brother-in-law to decide to part with this '70 Mustang project, and Travis took the opportunity to purchase it to build a daily driver. His brother-in-law drove it during college and Travis' wife rode around in it during high school, but there's an even more intriguing backstory than that. The Mustang was originally delivered as a government fleet vehicle and a parking tag from the FBI was found during disassembly. Since daily driving is the plan, the drivetrain will stay modest with a stock 5.0 HO short-block that should deliver power and mileage when paired with a T-5 trans.

39/93

By The Numbers

Engine:

5.0 HO short-block, Weiand intake, Edelbrock carb

Trans:

Borg Warner T-5 five-speed

Suspension:

Eaton Detroit springs on roller perches, "Shelby drop" on the upper control arm in front and 2-inch lowering blocks in the rear

Brakes:

'69 Mustang spindles and power discs up front, stock drums in the rear

Rearend:

8-inch with open diff and 3.00 gears

Wheels:

16-inch Cragar S/S

Tires:

245/50R16 BFGoodrich Comp T/A

Future plans:

The bodywork is nearly finished, so the next step will be laying down the Ford Laser Red paint to contrast nicely with the Medium Ginger interior.

'69 Barracuda
Brian Fuerstenberg Ponder, TX
This Barracuda is what Brian Fuerstenberg always wanted back when he was in the Army. After he got out, he was working for a drag race team when he ran across it. His girlfriend (now wife) agreed that it was the perfect project, so the Barracuda came with Brian. He had it running within a week, but it ended up staying in the garage for years waiting for a full redo. After 9/11, Brian needed something to take his mind off things and set to work on the Barracuda again, adding a fresh paintjob just in time for a big local car show. He enjoyed the experience so much that he vowed to keep the car running no matter how it looked from then on.

40/93

By The Numbers

Engine:

340ci J-heads, LD340 intake with Holley 750, ACCEL ignition

Trans:

four-speed

Suspension:

stock

Brakes:

factory discs up front, drums in the rear

Rearend:

83/4 with 3.55 gears

Wheels:

14x7 vintage Ansen slots

Tires:

205/75R14 and 245/60R14 Kumho

Future plans:

The Barracuda is about to get yet another coat of paint; this time '04 Mopar Electric Blue.

'68 Mustang
Phil Gorny • Novi, MI
Gone in 60 Seconds has probably motivated more people to build a fastback Mustang than any movie since Bullitt. Phil Gorny is one of the inspired ones, and procured a fairly clean fastback from eBay to build his Eleanor. Since Phil appens to have an artist's touch with fiberglass, perfectly molding the body kit to the steel was simple enough, and he added in his own touches to make his car unique, such as making all the scoops functional, flush mounting the taillights, and creating his own roll pan and exhaust tips. A good deal of the difficult work is already finished, and he's shooting for having the Mustang on the road in time for the Woodward Dream Cruise this summer.

Total Control Products coilovers and rack and pinion up front, QA1 coilovers and custom 1-inch sway bar in the rear

Brakes:

SSBC Force 10 discs front and rear

Rearend:

Martz Engineering narrowed 9-inch with Moser axles and 4.11 gears

Wheels:

18x7 and 19x10

Tires:

215/40R18 and 295/35R19 BFGoodrich G-Force KDW

Future plans:

The Hot Rod Power Tour is on the list for future events the Mustang will attend, as well as various track days.

'72 Camaro RS Scott Olsgard Marysville, CA
On the hunt for a new project, Scott Olsgard ran across this '72 Rally Sport Camaro tucked away in a barn where it had sat untouched for years. After purchasing it, Scott actually got it running and drove it to the body shop where the stripping began. Unfortunately, that barn must have leaked because nearly every panel on the car had to be replaced, even the roof. The driver-side door and fender did make it, however. The arduous bodywork is nearly finished and it should be covered in GM white with silver stripes by the time you read this.

42/93

By The Numbers

Engine:

350ci crate engine, rated at 400hp

Trans:

TH-350

Suspension:

stock with PST polygraphite bushings

Brakes:

Brutestop performance rotors up front, stock drums in the rear

Rearend:

10-bolt with posi diff

Wheels:

15x7 GM Rally

Tires:

276/50R15 Goodyear

Future plans:

After three years of work, Scott is hoping to drive the Camaro to Hot August Nights in Reno, NV, this year.

'72 Maverick Grabber Sean Clarke West Milford, NJ
Hanging out at Englishtown Raceway in New Jersey back in the '80s and watching '70s Mavericks and Comets hanging hoops off the line hooked Sean Clarke on the little compact muscle cars. Since the goal was an 11-second Maverick, Sean tracked down a '72 Grabber with a V-8, though it did have a long way to go; the first pass at Island Dragway was a 15.8 at 87 mph. Additional motivation to get more power on tap comes via a little friendly competition with his buddy Glen Knudsen and his '70 Valiant four-door that's currently running low 13s. The hot new small-block, 4.10 gears, and some sticky Mickey Thompsons should level the playing field quickly.

'70 Camaro Imran Momin • Astoria, NY
At a Goodguys show, a friend told Imran Momin they were going to find his first car that day. Turns out he was right; this '70 Camaro was the one he was looking for. Parking it on the street gathered too much attention, so Imran rented a spot for it nearby. Working on it without a garage required dedication, and getting everything back together by sundown. Luckily Imran also has a trusty mechanic to help with the larger projects. So far he's swapped the Powerglide for a TH-350 and rebuilt the rearend with 3.55 gears. Most of all Imran just loves spending time with his Camaro: "When I drive the car or work on it, it's like I'm in another world. It's my sanctuary."

44/93

By The Numbers

Engine:

stock 307ci

Trans:

TH-350 with shift kit

Suspension:

stock

Brakes:

stock discs and drums

Rearend:

10-bolt with Eaton posi and 3.55 gears

Wheels:

14x7 Cragar S/S

Tires:

205/70R14 and 215/70R14

Future plans:

Imran is a fan of monster big-blocks, so look for over 600 ci tucked underhood once he's finished his master's in mechanical engineering.

'74 AMX Javelin
John Ciocca
Voorhees, NJ
The remembrance of teenage shenanigans is John Ciocca's main drive behind restoring this all-original, 57K-mile Javelin. He and his buddy used to ride around in it when they were teenagers, but for the past 20 years or so, it's been tucked away in John's friend's garage. Recently John was able to purchase it, and he soon after discovered the AMC's cultlike underdog following. Fortunately, that endowed him with a new circle of friends interested in helping him put the seldom seen Go Package AMX Javelin back on the road.

45/93

By The Numbers

Engine:

360ci four-barrel, Go Package

Trans:

727 TorqueFlite

Suspension:

stock with Go Package handling upgrade

Brakes:

stock power discs front, drums rear

Rearend:

stock Twin-Grip limited-slip differential

Wheels:

15x7 AMC Rallye

Tires:

Goodyear Eagle ST

Future plans:

Thanks to the help of the AMC community, John hopes to have it on the road and in car shows this summer.

'70 Dart Swinger • Jesse Weir • Scottdale, PA
A 340ci Chrysler small-block was the driving force behind Jesse Weir's Dart project. His father purchased it from his uncle as a Christmas gift for Jesse when he was 15, but it ended being a garage decoration for the next 10 years as Jesse went through high school, the military, marriage, and his first child. After a move he needed a spot to store the 340 and his uncle offered his garage-provided Jesse buy a car for them to drop it in. After scoring a '70 Swinger for only $800, they began the typical bodywork battle with holes hidden under putty. There's still a long way to go, but Jesse intends to stay pure for his Dart; he refuses to ride in anything that might spoil his first ride in the Swinger.

Jesse plans to share the memories and pass the knowledge he gains from building the Dart on to his son when he's old enough.

'75 Dart Swinger Chris Holley Montgomery, PA
Riding with his dad in a '74 VW, 5-year-old Chris Holley was mesmerized when a hot '69 Dart GTS with a rumpity idle pulled next to the van at a light. From that day forward he was enamored with A-Body Mopars and picked up a '69 Dart when he was 20 that became his weekend drag toy. These days, Prof. Chris at Pennsylvania College of Technology still has the 11-second '69, but has decided to build a '75 Swinger for daily driving as well. This one is nearly the polar opposite of the '69, since it's a factory Slant Six with power steering, disc brakes, and A/C. Not a fast car, but a killer cruiser.

Someday Chris hopes to pull alongside another young lad at a stoplight and cause him to exclaim, "Dad, look at that cool old car!"

'77 MGB • Earl Dickeson • Kingman, AZ
This MGB is Earl Dickeson's retirement present to himself. After finding it laying unloved in a backyard, Earl pondered what to do about the cracked engine block; until a friend offered him a 302 HO from a Mustang. Earl knew Carroll had started out racing MGBs, so he ran with the idea of dropping a small-block in one and making his version of a baby Cobra. After finding more inspiration on BritishV8.org, he began grafting on a Sebring body kit for more aggressive lines, and then moved onto the custom 302 install. The MGB is currently on the road getting sorted out and Earl has discovered that big power in a light, short wheelbase car requires respect.

Fast Cars Inc. coilover system up front, stock leaves and Spax shocks in the rear

Brakes:

Wilwood disc brakes all around with SSBC master cylinder and booster

Rearend:

Fast Cars Inc. housing with Auburn limited-slip diff and 3.50 gears

Wheels:

15x8 Jegs

Tires:

205/60R15 and 215/70R15 BFGoodrich

Future plans:

a lot of nice, long summertime rides along Route 66 with his wife

'74 Nova • Bryan Bendall Sarnia, ON, Canada
Small-blocks, big-blocks, and LS-series engines; they're all good for making power, but too predictable for Bryan Bendall. The '74 Nova he's putting together at the shop he and his brother run will instead pack a 2.2L Ecotec with a custom sequential twin-turbo setup. Of course the suspension couldn't stay predictable either, so Bryan went for a front package from an '84 Corvette, and the IRS from a '04 GTO. That's quite an interesting blend, but with the planned 400 hp and excellent driving characteristics it should make an outstanding calling card for the ingenuity and fabrication abilities of J's erformance.

lots of road time and explaining his rationale to everyone who asks, "Why a four-cylinder?"

'64 Corvair Monza • Jude Crocco • Palm Bay, FL
Rathmann Chevrolet in Melbourne, Florida, was the original home for this '64 Corvair Monza, and 46 years later it's still just a few miles away. Jude Crocco picked it up as the latest in a long string of project cars and noted the original dealer emblem on the rear. Rathmann may not sound familiar to those not up on their Indy history, but Jim Rathmann won the infamous race in 1960. He set up the dealership on the Space Coast in Brevard County years later and was reportedly known for occasionally giving away Chevys to astronauts, usually Corvettes. That's a neat bit of history on the trunk.

50/93

By The Numbers

Engine:

Corvair Flat-6

Trans:

four-speed Corvair transaxle

Suspension:

stock

Brakes:

stock drums front and rear

Wheels:

stock

Future Plans:

Jude plans to restore the Corvair, enjoy it for a bit, and then sell it to fund the next project.

'78 Camaro Z28Darren McDonald Puyallup, WA
When Darren McDonald bought this '78 Z28, it only had 58K miles on it. Now, it has racked up 180K miles, and they weren't easy ones either. So far the Camaro has been rear-ended by an uninsured motorist, burned up in a house fire, swapped three engines, three paintjobs, two trannys, and two rearends. To say Darren's got some history with the car would be a severe understatement. He's not afraid to keep investing cash to make it fun though. After the fire in 2008, Darren set about making the Camaro a brutally fast street car. Actually, he says the current engine cost more than he originally paid for the car.

Darren says he realized all the money was worth it when he embarrassed a new Maserati on his way to work one morning, so we're forecasting more of that in this Z's future

'64 Mustang Kraig Dorwart Lincoln, NE
Kraig Dorwart's been working on this '64 Mustang since he was 15, slowly turning it into a street-legal drag car. The list of modifications is getting long. Kraig has done most of the work himself, but he says that the most fun so far was building the engine and trans in his garage. With 507 hp on tap at a high-winding 7,500 rpm and a well-sorted chassis, this little green coupe should be a terror in the quarter-mile.

'66 Chevelle Steve Johnson Olivet, MI
In 1975, Steve Johnson's dad gave him the shell of a '66 Chevelle while he was till in high school. He scrounged parts from junkyards and assembled and ainted it himself. A few years later, he sold it for $300. Oh, hindsight. Some 29 years and four kids later, Steve's new Chevelle is ironically in the same shape as his first-missing almost everything. The plan is to use the Chevelle to teach his kids the same perseverance and problem-solving lessons Steve's dad taught him, as well as to spend some quality bonding time.

52/93

By The Numbers

Engine:

stock '77 454 ci

Trans:

TH-400

Suspension:

stock

Brakes:

stock

Wheels:

stock GM steelies

Future plans:

Steve also wants to teach his kids the simple joy of riding around in a bare-bones muscle car that lacks modern conveniences.

'65 Chevelle • Steven Schubert • Indianapolis, IN
One of Steven Schubert's fondest memories is of him and his dad yanking the slow diesel out of his first car, an '82 Olds Cutlass Supreme, to drop in a 350. So when Steve turned 30 he decided it was time to make more car-guy memories with his dad and his son. The $850 '65 Chevelle has proven to be a source of both frustration and relaxation, as it's Steven's first experience with a complete resto, and his first experience with welding and replacing panels. Starting at the rear where the worst rust was, he's already replaced the trunk floor, all bracing, rear crossmember, inner wheelwells, and patched a few holes in the floorpans. Eventually, the Chevelle will be as perfect as Steve can make it, but in the meantime it's creating a lot of quality time for three generations of Schuberts.

proving to his wife that instead of a malicious money pit, the Chevelle will actually be an investment that they treasure down the road

'55 Chevy 210 • Mike McCormick • Abington, MA
Thirty-four years tucked away in a western New York barn passed before the previous owners of this '55 decided to have it restored. After a two-year frame-off build with lots of money invested in upgrading every aspect from brakes to wiring, and paint to drivetrain, they drove it 17 miles back to the barn and parked it again. Four years later, Mike McCormick stumbled across the ad for it and decided he had a '55 Chevy-shaped empty spot in his barn. To date, Mike has fixed a few minor issues and recently procured a 485hp small-block to swap in. After that, adding a third pedal and stick to stir will change the '55's attitude nicely.

Once the drivetrain is providing more punch, the wheels will be swapped out for Centerline Auto Drags with Coker M&H Drag Masters in the rear and Mickey Thompsons in the front.

'69 Pontiac Firebird • Scott Livezey • West Des Moines, Iowa
Proving that you can restore a car almost anywhere if you want to bad enough, cott Livezey does all the work on his '69 in his little townhouse garage, thanks to very understanding wife. Since this is his first restoration, and he's planning to drive the Firebird everyday that there is not snow on the ground, he's taking every part, nut, and bolt off of the car to make it good as new. Plus, since he lives in corn country, the original six-banger is being converted to run on E-85. Scott started tearing everything apart the day after Halloween 2008, and has been working on it steadily since then, and plans to be driving it again this summer.

55/93

By The Numbers

Engine:

250ci straight-six, converted for E-85

Trans:

rebuilt original automatic

Suspension:

stock with Energy Suspension polyurethane bushings

Brakes:

original rebuilt drum brakes

Wheels:

original Pontiac steelies

Future plans:

After restoring it back to original condition and driving it, Scott plans to begin the process of upgrading the suspension, brakes, wheels, and engine.

'64 Malibu SS • Julius Pitrowski • Waukesha, WI
After deciding she'd had enough of crawling over the door bars in Julius Pitrowski's radical, caged GTO drag car whenever they went to a car show or cruise night, Julius' wife suggested he build something more street-friendly. Julius decided to oblige her and ran out and picked up a '64 Malibu SS, partially as homage to the '65 SS he was forced to part with years earlier to support his growing family. Fueled by his stack of PHR issues dating back to 1965, Julius' plan for this Malibu will be to create a mild rod with a '60s Super Stocker style.

Currently Julius is swapping out the quarter-panels and trunk floor, but he's looking forward to dropping on a fiberglass hood with a Pontiac Super Duty-style scoop.

'70 Chevelle SS Todd Westbrook Decatur, IL
"It was ready for the boneyard at best," is how Todd Westbrook describes his '70 Chevelle when he picked it up four years ago. He's not joking either; nearly everything on the car has been replaced or rebuilt, top to bottom. The effort was worth it though; it's now a completely rust-free 454 SS, which is exactly what Todd had been wanting since he helped his dad rebuild a '70 Chevelle back in 1971. Dad's returning the favor too; Todd has done much of the work himself, but the senior Westbrook is handling the wiring on the Chevelle.

Lots of cruising with his pop and the occasional trip down the quarter-mile is the plan.

'78 Mustang Cobra II • Nick Steinhaus La Crosse, WI
Yes, it is a real Mustang Cobra II. When's the last time you saw one of these on the road? Nick Steinhaus just picked up this fairly primo '78 a few months back and hasn't had time to do much with it, but he has a perfect base to start from. The body is in great shape, which is hard to find in a Mustang II, and so is the interior. What inspired the hunt for a II? Nick's parent's had a new '78 Cobra II in the rare black with green stripes color combo, and he's always wanted to build a clone of that car. Looks like he may have picked the ideal car too; a few paint chips have revealed original green stripes under the current coat.

58/93

By The Numbers

Engine:

stock 302ci with Weiand intake and 650 Carter carb

Trans:

stock four-speed

Suspension:

stock with unknown upgraded front springs and rear air shocks

Brakes:

stock

Wheels:

13-inch turbine style

Future plans:

Nick wants a fun sunny day driver, and to enjoy all the stares from those who haven't seen a nice Mustang II since the '70s.

'64 Fairlane • Robert Lambert • Newhall, CA
With a father who handled the upholstery for many legendary race cars, Indy cars, and dragsters such as the infamous Greer, Black, and Prudhomme, it's not surprising Robert Lambert became a gearhead. He currently has 21 toys, and his latest project is what he likes to refer to as an "Ultrabolt." Thunderbolt guys don't like clones, plus Robert's Fairlane will incorporate some more up-to-date technology along with correct vintage T-bolt bits to create a car with the right look that he can actually enjoy. Who knows, it might actually outrun a real one too.

59/93

By The Numbers

Engine:

427ci center oiler, Daytona high-rise dual-quad intake, Holley carbs

Trans:

C-6 with B&M shifter, 3,000-stall converter, transbrake

Suspension:

stock front with Koni shocks, Art Morrison ladder bar rear suspension

Brakes:

Wilwood disc brakes all around

Rearend:

Mark Williams aluminum 9-inch with 35-spline axles and 3.56 gears

Wheels:

15x3 and 15x18 Weld Racing

Tires:

3x15x22 and 33x19.5x15 Mickey Thompson

Future plans:

If all went well, the T-bolt should have debuted at Fabulous Fords Forever at Knott's Berry Farm in Anaheim, California, on April 25.

'66 Caprice Rodney Cole West Bloomfield, MI
Rather than sink money into a six-speed swap on his '95 Impala, Rodney Cole decided to just pick up another toy. Originally he was searching for fourth-gen Camaros and Corvettes, but this '66 Caprice kept crossing his path, so he decided to check it out. The car was in excellent condition with lots of spare parts, but the automatic-backed small-block was less than inspiring. Rodney decided to pass on it, that is, until the owner later dropped the price to an irresistible $4,500. So far, the only real surprise was discovering that the 350 was actually a 305. No matter though, Rodney has plans for a big-block four-speed for the Caprice.

After the big-block and four-speed, a full Hotchkis suspension upgrade is planned as well as disc brakes.

'71 Chevelle Christopher Joseph North Attleboro, MA
It's not easy to find good muscle cars in the great white snowy New England states, but Christopher Joseph actually has six other projects besides this '71 Chevelle. Now you know who's hogging them all. It's also been to his benefit as well, since Christopher has been able to turn his passion and talent for building high-performance muscle cars into an occupation as well as a hobby. Of course juggling that many projects can get time consuming and frustrating, but Christopher tell us it's the thought of the finished product that drives him to work on each car every day.

If he gets his way, Christopher wants to see each of his cars featured in PHR. Keep in touch, we'll be happy to take a look.

'52 Chevy • Francis Schaubel • Aurora, IL
Selling his Pro Street '55 Chevy was a mistake, Francis Schaubel later realized, so this '52 Chevy was built to be the perfect replacement. Francis actually had Ridler award aspirations for the '52, so extreme detail went into every area over the course of nine years. "I sure didn't know what I was getting into," Francis says. Now that it's finished, the plans have shifted over to cruising and enjoying rather than just showing, even though a few people have told him he's nuts. We can't blame him though. Who could resist joyriding in a rod with a blown 502ci cranking out 1,150 hp?

Francis wants to make a few minor revisions, such as upgrading the seatbelts so he can take the '52 through the Goodguys autocross events.

'94 Mustang GT • Dan Tinkes • Lakemoor, IL
Daily driver duties over 125K miles had started to take their toll on Dan Tinkes' '94 Mustang, probably because it also had heads, cam, intake, and nitrous upgrades to make the commute more fun. Once the 5.0 was yanked, a built 4V 5.4 was dropped in its place. The Mustang will still be a street car with power everything, but first it's getting a full cage and safety upgrades to pass the ECTA's rule book so he can take some top-speed runs at the Maxton Mile in North Carolina.

Once he's made his 200-mph pass at Maxton, the 'cage comes out, and Dan says he'll drive it till he dies, or his son takes it away from him.

'67 Cougar • Keith Owen Seven Mile, OH
Keith and Thomas Owen at Owen & Sons Street Rods are building the car that Mercury should have built, but didn't. We have to say, the rendering by Kevin Eikelberger really looks like a car that could have been. Keith conceived the Cougar fastback idea sometime back in the late '70s or early '80s, but it wasn't until recently that he decided to really get serious about finishing the car. Plus, it's the perfect project to show off the skills of the fabrication team in the shop. The look they're going for is a Cougar fastback that appears so factory that some people may not even notice it's a phantom car, all while incorporating modern technology. We're pretty eager to see this one come together.

With the availability of the new fastback roof conversion kits from Classic Automotive Restoration Specialists (CARS), there could be more Cougar conversions on the horizon.

'71 Camaro
Monte and Suzanne Dinnell • Fox Lake, IL
This was actually supposed to be a '69 Camaro convertible since that's what Monte Dinnell's wife, Suzanne, really wanted him to build. But after showing her the sky-high prices and the potential in second-gen cars, she agreed that this '71 would make a nice second choice. The gold beauty came from Sacramento, California, via eBay and was, surprisingly, exactly as the ad stated with no rust or hidden issues. Once the refreshening and upgrading is finished, Suzanne is going to drive it daily during the summer and run the; autocross at the Goodguys event in Joliet, Illinois.

Rather than gold, the Camaro will be DuPont Hot Lava Orange from a '05 Lexus.

'79 Chevy Camaro Holly Overton Wilmot, WI
Plain Jane was what Holly Overton called her '79 Camaro when she first bought it, since it didn't have a spoiler and wasn't a Z28. Nowadays she calls it Evil Jane after a full resto, which was unfortunately necessary after the Camaro was flooded twice by the nearby Fox River when it overflowed its banks. She nearly threw in the towel, but after 20 minutes of draining water, the Camaro fired right up. Seeing that as a sign, Holly's husband Mark decided it was time to throw full effort into the Camaro and helped her turn it into the prized showpiece she always wanted. So far, there's about $30K worth of parts and labor into Evil Jane, but as Mark said, "It's not about the money; it's to do it right."

Holly and Mark spent nearly every weekend of 2009, Jane's 30th year, showing her off at car shows and cruises, and 2010 is shaping up to be just as good.

'90 Mustang LX • Mike Lewis • Nashville, TN
When Mike Lewis bought this Mustang in 2000 it had been set up for drag racing, like most 5.0 Fox Mustangs out there. Mike is more of a road course type of guy though, so the past 10 years have been a quest to create a great budget track car. The suspension has been swapped for five-lug parts from a '96 Mustang, and Cobra brakes and Koni shocks were added. Inside some non-important interior parts have been removed, like the back seat, to balance out the weight of the six-point cage. Mike says the car is close to where he wants it; he can keep up with C-5 Vettes and some Cobras around the road course at Nashville Superspeedway.

Stickier tires and a gear change should help the Mustang carry more speed into the corners and accelerate out harder.

'65 Impala Dan Gierke • Kiel, WI
February 1968 is when this '65 Impala joined the Gierke family. Dan Gierke remembers going to pick it up and making his dad promise that if he ever wanted to get rid of it, Dan would have first dibs. In '74 Dan repaired a '71 Malibu wagon and swapped it for the Impala. From then on it became known as the wedding car because it only came out for special occasions and has only racked up 5K miles since then. Last year, Dan decided to give it a complete freshening up with new interior, rubber parts, paint, and a little more cam in the rebuilt 327 ci. Both of his sons, Josh and Jeremy, helped out, and Josh even handled the paint.

68/93

By The Numbers

Engine:

327ci, stock rebuild with a little step up in cam

Trans:

Powerglide

Suspension:

stock

Brakes:

Classic Industries power discs up front, stock drums in the rear

Wheels:

original GM steelies with Impala wire caps

Tires:

Coker tires

Future plans:

The Impala has to come back together soon because its attendance is mandatory for Dan's daughter Shana's wedding in July.

'65 Skylark GS Gilbert Wright Imperial Beach, CA
After attending a cruise night and drooling over the cool cars in attendance, Gilbert Wright called his son and asked him to help restore his first muscle car. After talking for a while, they decided the '65 Skylark sitting in his son's backyard was perfect, He even had the perfect big-block Buick engine to drop in it. Interestingly, the data plate showed that the Skylark was one of only 1,100 Gran Sport pillar cars made in '65, making it an even more unique project. The Skylark is currently coming together in his son's garage 600 miles away, which limits their working time to three-day weekends once a month. But Gilbert can't complain; he's getting to spend quality time building something with his son.

69/93

By The Numbers

Engine:

'68 430ci Buick, Edelbrock intake, Holley 600 carb

Trans:

TH-400

Suspension:

rebuilt stock

Brakes:

'76 Camaro front discs, stock drums in the rear

Wheels:

16-inch third-gen Firebird wheels for now

Future plans:

Gilbert's son also has a few interior upgrades planned for the car, including a '65 Buick console and '66 Chevelle bucket seats.

'70 Challenger • Kaitlyn Ridings Cheboygan, MI
This '70 Challenger belongs to 13-year-old Kaitlyn Ridings, and it's going to be her first car when she turns 16. How envious do you think her classmates will be? She and her dad already dissembled it, sandblasted the body, and Kaitlyn is currently researching and making the parts list. What she does know for sure is that it will be Plum Crazy Purple, and have a 340 in it topped by a shaker and backed by a Keisler Engineering five-speed. So far, working on the build with her dad has taught her how to sandblast, and use an air hammer, Sawzall, and die grinder because one of the agreements of the project is that she has to spend an equal amount of time working on it as her dad does. The other rule comes from mom: No boys are allowed to drive it!

70/93

By The Numbers

Engine:

340ci Weiand intake

with Edelbrock carb

Trans:

Tremec five-speed

Suspension:

stock

Brakes:

factory discs in the front,

drums in the rear

Rearend:

83/4 with 3.23 gears

Future Plans:

Kaitlyn signed up for a shop class in school to learn more about working with metal and hopefully how to do more on the Challenger.

'71 Chevelle Darin Gallagher Sedro-Woolley, WA
Mom's Chevelle became Darin Gallagher's daily driver in college, provided he keep the maintenance up and do minor repairs. When the engine blew though, it sat for almost 10 years while Darin finished his shop and house. Though his mom tried to give him the car, Darin resisted since he wanted to focus on his own '71 Chevelle and his wife's '69 Nova, yet he couldn't return his mom's Chevelle to her in rough condition. Instead, Darin and his dad decided to restore the Chevelle and surprise her. The engine, suspension, and drivetrain have been done; bodywork, paint, and interior are next on the list.

71/93

By The Numbers

Engine:

350ci two-barrel, stock rebuilt

Trans:

TH-350

Suspension:

stock

Brakes:

factory discs and drums

Rearend:

10-bolt

Wheels:

14x7 GM Rally

Tires:

235/60R14 and 245/60R14 BFGoodrich Radial T/A

Future plans:

Unfortunately Darin's dad died last November, so he will be finishing the project they began together and presenting it to his mom to bring a smile to her face.

'68 Chevelle Steve Smith • Gainesville, TX
In 1991, this Chevelle was just a shell in a field, and Steve Smith was looking for a good place to transfer the parts from his '68 Chevelle dirt track car. At the time, his two boys were small and money was tight, so everything that could be reused was, and the rest was scrounged up when funds were available. As the boys got older, they helped Steve put the Chevelle together and repair it, always learning. Now 16 years later they're graduating from Texas A&M and Steve's celebrating with a fresh 468 ci. He can still count on his helpers though; it's become a tradition and Steve promised them the Chevelle will remain a family heirloom.

It might get paint one day, but Steve likes to drive, and prefers more go than show.

'69 Camaro • Christine Davis • Fishkill, NY
It wasn't until she got a little older that Christine Davis understood why her brother babied his '69 Camaro so much. Unfortunately, he ended up trading his for a couple of babies. She didn't want to be one of those who to never get their dream car, so Christine set out to find her own with three requirements: It had to be a Camaro, built in 1969, and black (eventually anyways). After finding one ocally, Christine and her husband tore into it to perform a full makeover. It's been almost two years, but the repairs, bodywork, and wiring are finished, and the new big-block just fired up for the first time a few weeks ago. Soon it'll be ready for a coat of black paint and then Christine will have finally fulfilled all of her prerequisites.

Taking family and friends out and letting them experience the rush of riding in a real muscle car

'66 Dart • Philip Davison • Green Forest, AR
Growing up hearing stories about the mid-'60s Impala Super Sports that his parents used to own, Philip Davison was destined to crave a rod of his own some day. A $350 Dart slowly sinking into a field fit the bill, since it was fairly clean, complete, and even had dealer-installed A/C. The paint had burned off on the spots facing the sun, so Philip got creative and gave the four-door a more aggressive look by spraying them satin black. The original V-8 had been removed and taken apart, so Philip is bartering with a friend to get a Dodge 360 to drop in and bolt-on a few speed goodies. So far, smart swap meeting has kept his investment down to $2,000, and he's on track to be driving it this summer.

74/93

By The Numbers

Engine:

'84 360 ci, Summit Racing intake and 600 carb

Trans:

904 TorqueFlite with Hurst shifter

Suspension:

stock

Brakes:

factory discs and drums

Rearend:

83/4 with 3.50 gears

Wheels:

14-inch steelies

Tires:

Cooper Cobra

Future plans:

Once the 360 is in Philip plans on adding dual exhaust and eventually swapping in an A833 four-speed.

'68 Skylark GS Convertible Donald Wright • Gridley, CA
This '68 Skylark GS doesn't have much story to tell yet. Before Donald Wright pulled it out of a field, it had been sitting there since 1971. All of the original paperwork, including a speeding ticket from the day it was bought, was found in the glovebox. Of course lots of metalwork was necessary, including quarters, floors, and trunk pan, but it's nearly all finished now. The car will appear fairly stock right down to the bench seat, but underhood it will be packing a Stage 1 455 ci. Donald is currently breaking the engine in with a test car, and reports it'll easily rip the tires loose at freeway speed.

75/93

By The Numbers

Engine:

455ci Stage 1, TA Performance Stage 2 heads with T&D roller rockers

Trans:

Muncie M-21 four-speed mated to a Gear Vendors Over/Underdrive

Suspension:

stock with PST polygraphite bushings

Brakes:

stock

Wheels:

9- and 12-inch wide Centerline

Tires:

245/50R15 and 295/50R15

Future plans:

If all goes well, the Skylark should be painted and getting reassembled by the end of this summer.

'69 Mustang Richard and Peggy Fenner Columbus, GA
A friend of Richard Fenner's bought this '69 Mustang in 1971 in California and then drove it back to Maryland. He and Richard drag raced it in NHRA Stock Eliminator until 1977 when the Mustang went into storage. It reemerged in 1995 when Richard purchased it from his friend. After a little work, the engine fired up and Richard went back to the drags and bracket raced it until the engine blew in 1997. It went back into storage until 2005 when he decided to drop in a better-than-ever Windsor and add some more quarter-mile passes to the hundreds already racked up.

It doesn't take a crystal ball to see that lower e.t.'s will be the fruition of Richard's second resurrection of the Mustang.

'68 GTO • James Hines • Davenport, IA
Even with no engine, $1,200 is a good deal for a '68 GTO, so James Hines snatched it up when the opportunity arose while telling his three sons that he was going to drop a Tri-Power 428 in it. A few years later, James found the donor at a tow yard auction, not realizing that his wife and kids had just bought a 428 out of a junkyard as a Christmas present. He found it Christmas morning sitting in the living room, freshly hot tanked. Oh well, having a spare 428 isn't a bad thing. James' sons work at a machine shop, so they already spec'd out a 450-ish hp 455 that should be perfect for street driving and the occasional blast down the strip.

James attends the U.S. Nationals every year, and he'd like to drive the GTO out there someday, not to race, just for a road trip.

'78 Cutlass Sean Gates Ore, NE
Driving a truck for a living and having a shop that's 40 miles from his house keeps Sean Gates' wrenching time at a premium. Plus, when he's home, he makes sure to spend time with his family. Luckily he may be able to combine the two soon, since his 10-year-old on, Johnathan, is starting to take an interest in cars and wants to help Sean build the Cutlass. Who could ask for better motivation? Of course, if he's not careful, Sean may find Johnathan looking to take over the project in about five or six years.

78/93

By The Numbers

Engine:

rebuilt '75 Olds 350ci, Holley 450 carb

Trans:

TH-350

Suspension:

stock, with the addition of coil springs from a wagon in the rear

Brakes:

stock discs and drums

Wheels:

stock and vintage aluminum slots

Future plans:

Sean plans on having two hoods and two decklids to swap out for different looks; one set will be stock, the other will sport a hoodscoop and rear spoiler.

'55 Ford Town Sedan • Duane, Marie, and Summer Rogers • Rushmore, MN
Duane Rogers' grandparents purchased this '55 Ford Town Sedan in 1959, and it was their only car until they died in the early '70s. Duane's uncle stored the car in his garage for almost 30 years with intentions of restoring the car for himself, but in 1996 he decided it was time to downsize and gave the car to Duane and Marie. It only took them a few weeks to change the drivetrain, convert the brakes from drum to disc, upgrade the charging system from 6 to 12 volts, overhaul the stock rearend, and just generally get the '55 into driveable condition. They fired the motor on the last day of 1999, then drove 300 miles back to Duane's uncle's home to give him a ride.

79/93

By The Numbers

Engine:

351 Windsor

Suspension:

stock with sway bars added

Brakes:

disc brake conversion in the front, stock drums in the rear

Wheels:

15-inch American Racing Torq-Thrusts

Future plans:

The Rogers would like to see the car stay in the family for another generation. In the meantime they drive it to local events and use it to tow their small camper on vacations.

'72 Duster • Benjamin Kadron Sharps Chapel, TN
Our last Reader Projects special issue showcased Benjamin Kadron's other Duster project; this is his newest. When his other Duster project began to snowball into something much more complex, he had to find another driver. This Duster is a 74K-mile Craigslist find from a little old lady. Of course, as a gearhead and mechanical engineering student with access to a shop, Benjamin can't leave anything alone, so he's looking for upgrades. This one will definitely keep to a K.I.S.S. mentality with simple bolt-on parts though, mainly because his maximum downtime is 48 hours before he has to hit the highway for the daily commute.

Having access to a well-stocked machine shop at school allows Benjamin to make whatever he can't find, so more chassis upgrades are in the works, as well as custom fuel injection, and much more aggressive wheels and tires.

'70 Chevelle Robert Michell Waxhaw, NC
Just $450 is all it cost Robert Michell to buy this '70 four-speed Chevelle back in 1983. The tired 350 quickly left for a much more powerful small-block, but that one didn't last long either. By the next year, Robert built a 454 to drop in. Finally satisfied with the grunt, Robert proceeded to work on the interior and suspension, but the paint and body were always a low priority. That didn't stop him driving it every time the weather was nice, however. Finally in 2009, Robert sent the Chevelle off to the soda blaster to strip it down and prepare it for paint after 25 years of waiting.

So far Robert thinks the Chevelle's first real paintjob will be satin black with gloss red stripes.

'80 Camaro Kelly Crawford Franklin, MA
The first time Kelly Crawford saw a Camaro, she knew she had to have one someday. She just never figured she'd be restoring one herself, getting greasy, and earning a few busted knuckles along the way. With guidance from Sic of It All Customs, he's learned a lot, and taken the Camaro from a rusty and rotted mouse haven to a respectable running and driving project car. There are quite a few more block-sanding sessions to come, but when she's finished the Camaro will get a slick black coat of paint.

82/93

By The Numbers

Engine:

305ci Edelbrock RPM intake, Carter carb

Trans:

700-R4

Suspension:

lowering springs

Brakes:

stock

Rearend:

stock with 3.73 gears

Wheels:

16x7 IROC

Future plans:

Once she finishes welding in her rollcage, Kelly will completely redo the interior.

'33 Ford 3-Window • Mike Lyons • Tucson, AZ
So why a '33 glass body? The bad boy image? The, "I'll look cool driving this 'cause I've always wanted one?" Mike Lyons says it's a little of all of the above. Plus, as a certified welder who performs material analysis and failure investigations for a living, we're betting that it's also about the challenge. You see, we only think it's difficult modifying muscle cars; with a fiberglass shell literally everything is custom fabbed custom from scratch. So far, Mike bent and fabbed up all the tubular bracing in the chassis, plus pretty much everything else on the car from the trans tunnel to the dash. To date he's got more money in it than he cares to think about, but those thoughts of driving the bad boy hot rod he's always wanted keep him heading out to the garage.

83/93

By The Numbers

Engine:

Dart 400 block with Pro 1 heads, Hogan sheetmetal intake

Trans:

Tremec five-speed with Lakewood scattershield and Hurst shifter

Suspension:

Heidts independent suspension front and rear with stainless tubular control arms and coilovers

Brakes:

Wilwood six-piston calipers on all corners

Rearend:

Heidts

Future plans:

The '33 has come a long way, but there's still much more to do. The next item on the to-purchase list, however, is a FAST EFI system.

'79 Cadillac Coupe De Ville Bruce Jensen • Seattle, WA
What if Cadillac had built something a little brawnier out of their luxo-cruisers? That's what Bruce Jensen pondered when setting out to turn his '79 Coupe De Ville into a '70s-style Caddy muscle machine. After finding an exceptionally clean car, Bruce upgraded the interior to bucket seats and a console, and underhood he dropped in a burly 500ci V-8 with select speed parts to make it feel like a factory performance engine. It even has the rare A/C delete option, as a serious Caddy might have in '79.

cross-drilled rotors with HP pads up front, commercial chassis drums in the rear with HP shoes

Rearend:

Caddy commercial chassis rear with 3.08 gears

Wheels:

17x8 American Racing 200S

Tires:

235/60R17 Goodyear

Future plans:

The muscle De Ville needed a factory-like designation, so Bruce has dubbed it CDX for Coupe De Ville Extreme. Custom badges will be installed soon.

'73 Corvette Tom Coats Boiling Springs, SC
It's surprising how reasonably priced decent C3 Vettes can be found for if you're willing to look hard enough. Tom Coats was originally thinking a GTO was the platform he was after, until he saw how much the aftermarket had caught up with '68-72 Corvettes. The possibilities changed his mind and he took the plunge. The '73 was going to stay mostly stock, until a puddle appeared on the driver's floorboard. Tom started poking around and noticing all kinds of quirks he wanted to address. One thing led to another and before he knew it the Vette was fully stripped for a complete resto and Tom had a long list of goodies on the way.

Color selection is still up in the air, but Tom is leaning toward LeMans Blue from a C5 Vette. The body will stay stock except for the addition of an LT1-style hood.

'67 Mustang Terry Steinhaus Detroit Lakes, MN
Terry Steinhaus' son is building a tribute Mustang Cobra II to look like the one Terry bought brand new in 1978, so he needed to find a project for himself. Luckily, his two boys solved the problem by dragging this '67 Mustang out of a field as a Christmas present. It had been sitting neglected for 18 years, but just a little tinkering brought the engine to life. The theme for the Mustang will be '70s street machine with glasspacks, air shocks, and wide tires, so a tired 289 would never do. Terry pulled the engine for a full rebuild and is now in the process of replacing and patching all the rusty bits.

86/93

By The Numbers

Engine:

stock rebuilt 289ci, Weiand intake, Holley carb

Trans:

C-6

Suspension:

stock with air shocks in the rear

Brakes:

stock drums

Rearend:

8-inch

Wheels:

American Racing Outlaw

Future plans:

Terry's sons are hoping he will have the Mustang ready for the Car Craft Nationals in Minneapolis this year.

'70 Camaro RS/SS Ryan Newman • Sevierville, TN
As a lifelong Camaro fan, Ryan Newman was thrilled when he finally got his dream car in the summer of 2008, a '70 RS/SS. It was fairly rough, but all the important matching-numbers stuff was still there, which made Ryan's life easier since he wanted to restore it back to factory standards. During the resto he even wrote a letter to the original owner. She emailed him back a week later and sent photos of the Camaro when it was new. It had been purchased by her right after college from a dealership in Ryan's town.

87/93

By The Numbers

Engine:

matching-numbers L-48 300hp 350ci 10:1 compression

Trans:

matching-numbers TH-350

Suspension:

rebuilt F-41 package

Brakes:

factory discs up front, drums in the rear

Rearend:

12-bolt with posi diff

Wheels:

14x6 GM steelies with original hubcaps

Tires:

215/70R14

Future plans:

He's 17 months into the rebuild and hopes to wrap it all up this summer. Maybe the first cruise should be to the original dealer.

'57 Ford Custom • James Potter • Saucier, MS
Nothing seemed to be able to take the place of the '57 Ford James Potter foolishly sold in 2005, so he sold everything and sought out a new project. This $900 Custom came from a field in Texas where it had been parked since 1968 after a brief racing career. That's ideal since James' previous '57 ran 11.31 in the quarter-mile and this one needs to be at least as fast using the same kind of old-school parts. Of course being a product of the '80s, old school for James means a tunnel-ram intake, Toploader four-speed, Cragar aluminum wheels, and so on. So far the framerails and spring hangers have been moved inward to clear up to 14 inches of rubber, and the bodywork has begun.

Quarter-mile passes are definitely in the cards, but we're sure that selling this '57 won't be.

'72 Nova SS • Gordon Barry • Norco, CA
Having just parted with his '63 split-window Corvette in 1972, Gordon Barry was on the rebound, so it's not too surprising that shortly after this '72 Nova in a similar shade of silver caught his eye. He drove it daily until an accident in 1984 put it out of commission. Gordon got part of the way through the repairs, but got sidetracked and the Nova has been on the back burner ever since. Now that he's at a point in his life where he has time to work on it again, Gordon is ready to get it back in shape. The Nova is a primo candidate for resto too; at 115K miles, it's stone stock, has never been apart, and doesn't leak a drop of oil.

89/93

By The Numbers

Engine:

original 350ci, Quadrajet four-barrel carb,

Trans:

TH-350 with a shift kit

Suspension:

stock F-41

Brakes:

disc brakes in the front, drums in the rear

Rearend:

10-bolt with 3.08 gears

Wheels:

14-inch Astro

Tires:

235/60R14 and 245/60R14 Performance Radial

Future plans:

Cruising the Nova to the Route 66 show in San Bernardino, California, this summer is Gordon's short-term goal.

'65 Impala Steve Durk Edwardsville, PA
Steve Durk first saw this Impala sitting by a park he used to play in when he was 11. He fell in love with it and always used to talk to the owner when he saw him. When Steve turned 16, he of course tried to talk the owner out of the Impala, but he was also in love with it and wouldn't sell. Fast-forward quite a few years and the owner died. Steve was able to purchase the Impy from the estate, ensuring it went to the right home. Currently it's undergoing a full restoration with very piece of the car getting attention to bring to brand-new standards.

When he's not spending time with his 19-month-old daughter, Taylor Rose, Steve is working on the Impy. With that kind of dedication he should be able to hit his goal of having it back on the road next spring.

'71 Camaro SS Tim Charette Warwick, RI
It's been an on-and-off project since 1992, so Tim Charette's had plenty of time to daydream about all the drives he wants to take in his Camaro. A fall foliage run on a country road, early morning coffee runs with the dog, taking his son to sports practice, hanging out at the Dairy Queen bs'ing with other car guys-you name it. Tim just wants to drive it. Thankfully it shouldn't be too much longer now; the bodywork is finished and the PPG Deltron basecoat/clearcoat blue should be laid on it by the time you read this.

91/93

By The Numbers

Engine:

stock 350ci, four-barrel

Trans:

four-speed

Suspension:

rebuilt stock with Global West subframe connectors

Rearend:

10-bolt with posi diff and 4.10 gears

Wheels:

original 15x7 Z/28

Tires:

BFGoodrich Radial T/A

Future plans:

Many days of heading out to the garage and leaving frustrations behind by cruising in the Camaro.

'72 Ventura Bonnie Johnson-Hines
Davenport, IA
Novas are everywhere, but how many Venturas have you seen lately? Bonnie Johnson-Hines' husband actually has a matching-numbers '71 Ventura and while getting some new tires put on he was tipped off to a '72 for sale locally. The next day he and Bonnie were hauling it home as a project for her. Since this one isn't a resto candidate, Bonnie wants a fast street/strip Ventura. For now she'll build the 350 that's currently in the car, but there is a tempting big-block in the garage that could get the nod down the road.

To add a little more uniqueness the small-block will be getting a Tri-Power setup.

'81 Trans Am Matt Schone Mayville, WI
Growing up on Smokey and the Bandit pretty much sealed Matt Schone's car of choice; it had to be a black Trans Am. He picked up a '78 in 1996 and used it as a daily driver for a few years until mileage and wear started to add up. It ended up sitting until 2006 when Matt pulled it into the garage, ready to begin a redo. Unfortunately the weather hadn't been kind, and the floors and the quarters were rusty. Rather than patch, Matt found a more solid '81 roller with new suspension and combined the two cars putting the '78's front clip on the '81 shell. After three years of work, it's nearly finished, with paint the next item on the list. Matt's actually thinking about satin black with an orange 'bird, à la Project Talladega. We say go for it, there are plenty of stock restored TAs out there.